“My Journey will Mental Illness began in 2007 when I was diagnosed with Post Natal Depression.. I was hospitalised and treated accordingly, I was severely underweight so I was put on a nutritional supplement to regain strength physically, I literally had nothing left.
I couldn’t even care for my baby. I stayed in Hospital for 7 days then discharged myself and eventually took myself off the antidepressants after 1 month.. I did that because I was afraid of what my family, friends and people in the community would think of me, I didn’t like the ‘stigma’, I refused to believe I was that!
My next encounter with Post Natal Depression came in 2011.. again I was hospitalised but this time with my 3rd baby.. I stayed in hospital for 2 weeks and stayed on antidepressants for 2 years until I thought I’d be fine without.. I stopped taking according to Dr.’s order..
In 2013, I experienced what was diagnosed as a ‘major depression’.. I was in complete turmoil, again I was hospitalised for 2 weeks.. this time I never recovered.. Antidepressants weren’t doing anything to help.. Drs were at a loss and I didn’t know what was happening to me! It was Hell!!
I eventually was referred to a Psychiatrist in 2014 and was diagnosed with Bipolar 2 disorder.. then came appropriate treatment.. I was so relieved when this happened, I didn’t care what label I had, I was just happy to be helped! I currently take a mixture of 4 medications.
Even though I was properly diagnosed, it didn’t keep me out of hospital, I was admitted again in 2016 with severe depression, spent 1 week and managed the illness surrounded by my family and friends. To this day, I must be mindful of my triggers…
Medication is always altering too but eventually I did feel balanced. Our nervous systems are very intricate as are chemicals in our brains.
My faith, my husband, my children and the support of family and friends is what keeps me going.
Feel free to follow my Journey on Instagram ”
——————————————————————————————
Check out my August advertisers for amazing content: Stuart ,Sincerely Sarah and Instant Counselling
Well done for your courage Esther,i live in the UK and suffer from Chronic Recurrent Depression.It can be a nightmare but the more people like ourselves who talk about it openly the better.I wish you a stable,happy,and healthy future.